LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4321, 23 September 1921, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“I have never seen betef s,tock so low in price before,” said a prominert Hikutaia farmer when commenting on the prices fetched at recent sales. After much controversy the suppliers of the Wharepoa factory have decided to go in for. butter-making in preference to cheese.

At a Paeroa Bowling Club social last night, Mr Pinder suggested that the electric light should be provided on the bowling green. The Mayor, Mr P. E. Brenan, said it would cost £2O per annum.

A good story is told at the expense of Cr. J. Beil, of the Piako County Council, At a country station he met a man on the platform whom he thought he knew, and told the man he was under the impression that he had met him before. “Quite likely,’’ replied the wayb,acker, “my name is Mud.”

The Thames Hospital Board meets at 1 p.m. for its monthly meetings, and as many of the members leave by the 4 p.m. train there is not a great deal of time in which to discuss the various matters brought up. At the last meeting, for instance, there was no time to discuss the important matter of a maternity home and casualty ward for the Hauraki Plains, and the matter was deferred until next month. It has been suggested that .the Board should meet in the morning, say at 10 o’clock, adjourning for lurch at ,1 p.m., and resuming again at 2 p.m. until 3.45This would give ample time for the transaction of the businesss, and would obviate the necessity of fortnightly or special meetings.

The illustrations in this week's issue of the Sporting and Dramatic Review are of a highly attractive nature, covering a variety of subjects that should .appeal to all sections. The football vogue is represented in a series of snapshots at the New Zealand versus Springboks test match at Wellington, while photographs of various groups are also prominent The spring racing campaign in New Zealand and Australia is depicted in interesting fashion, a local touch being given in the Pakuranga Hunt Club races. The ladies’ golf championship at Wanganui occupies a leading space, and sport and pastimes generally are given splendid showing.

Visit Thames on October sth, 6th, 7th, and Bth for the Band Contest.

Do not forget the Farmers’ Queen social to-jnorrpw night.

“I didn’t know my own farm the morning after the rain,” said a local farmer on the Plains in reference to the good the recent rains had done. “The grass had grown an inch during the nigh’i,” he added.

At the Court at Thames yesterday Harry Davis, for alleged theft of a bicycle at Paeroa from a person unknown, was remanded on an application by the Police, as accused was at present an inmate of the Thames Hospital.

Asked by a representative of the “Gazette” how the supply compared with the corresponding period of last year, the manager of the Ilikutaia factory, Mr Norton, said it .was about the same, but he thought the individual suppliers must bo milking more cows, as, notwithstanding the loss of three 'large suppliers of last season, the supply at the factory showed little or no diminution. The recent rains had done a wonderful lot of good in respect to milk yields.

At .the Whareppa ferry yesterday there was a congestion of traffic, which the ardent supporters of the bridge proposals might ensily grasp as evidence for the necessity of bridges over .the Waihpu. During one wait for the return of the ferry there were seen waiting three motor cars, four horse, vehicles, half a dozen horsemen, and cyclists. When a small portion of this consignment was being ferried “to the opposite bank, another motor, three more> gigs, and some more horsemen were seen to arrive to wait their tufn for the ferry. This congestion was presumably due to the sale which was being conducted on behalf of Mr S. Bax at Wharepoa. A contractor waited on the Piako County Council at last meeting, asking for an amicable settlement of a dispute caused over the metalling of the Tahuna-Mprrinsville road, near ■the Hauraki Plains County boundary. It was stated that the Public Works Department declined to pay its subsidy as the specified quantity and quality of metal had not been placed on the road. The county chairman and engineer had accompanied the Departments engineer over the road and samples were taken, when it was found the correct depth of metal was only found in a few places. Further, the material placed on the road, and taken out pf the county quarry, was of very inferior quality. The chairman seated that he would be visiting Wellington in a few days, when he would go into the matter with the Minister, in an endeavour to effect a settlement. John Wesley once assembled 30,000 Cornishmen at Gwennap Pit for a prayer meeting, but so far as I know it was a fine day, states a writer in the Dominion. I should like to thinh that 30,000 New' Zealanders would have attended in the rain at the Athletic Park on Saturday for a prayer meeting, but I have my doubts. Besides a football match Dempsey and Carpentier are about the only people I know of who would induce thousands of them to sit as they did on Saturday for hours in the rain and mud, some travelling 300 and 400 miles, and back in wet clothes all ■the way, too. One Maori who was doing this, and remarking on his .own amazing foolishness, was told that his case was not nearly as bad as that of the Maori who went to the Rotorua match. His boss would not give him two days’ leave, so he had to wait until -the night before the match, when he borrowed a horse and rode- all night and most of next morning to get there on time. Bolting a meat pie and a bottle of lemonade by way of lunch he made for the ground and secured a seat, very tired and very well pleased with himself. The wait for £he game to start was a long one, and the next thing he knew was that he had been wakened by a loud burst of cheering, and on looking round he saw the crowd making their way towards the gates. Pool Hori had slept all through the match he had ridden all night to see.

T.t is stated on .what appears to be a fully reliable source tha,t Sullivan, the man who turned “Queen’s evidence” in {connexion with the Maunga A apu murders, which took place in the Nelson province in 1866, died at a great age in an institution in Auck-. land recently under an assumed name, which he had borne for over half a century. The story of the crimes committed by the Burgess, Levy, Kelly, and Sullivan gang is one of the blackest in our colonial history. How many men were killed will never be known, but they were finally brought to justice through the disappearance of four men named K.empthorne, Matthiew, Dudley, and De Portius, and when Sullivan confessed he said that the gang had also killed Mr Dobson, a surveyor, who had disappeared. Burgess, Kelly, and Levy were hanged in the Nelson gaol, and Sullivan got a long term of. imprisonment. Various rumours have been in circulation concerning the end of Sullivan, but it is said that investigations made in connexion With the considerable sum of money which he left have definitely identified the Auckland man with the Maungatapu murderer.